Our Community – Local Information

21 Jul 2011 Mudgeeraba 0 Comment

Mudgeeraba (Suburb Profile) – Everything you need to know

Nestled in the foothills of Springbrook, Mudgeeraba Village has that special kind of charm familiar with eras long past.

Just a hop, skip and a jump across the M1 from Robina, Mudgeeraba residents enjoy open spaces, lush green pastures and lifestyle blocks where the kids have plenty of room to play. It’s an ideal location for people seeking a rural lifestyle in a central location but without the hustle and bustle of the city.

Mudgeeraba’s handy location affords fast and easy access to major amenities such as the Robina Town Centre and Train Station. The Village retains its small-town friendliness, offering good community facilities and a local bakery that still cooks its bread in a wood-fired oven.

There’s a good mix of newer residential dwellings and more established acreage properties to choose from, some with spectacular views of the Gold Coast. In the more quiet areas such as Tallai, larger acreage blocks are still available. It’s not uncommon to see the local kids ride to the corner store on their horses and there’s definitely a strong sense that the community here revels in the fact that major development has as yet passed them by.

HISTORY
There are three quoted Aboriginal translations for the name Mudgeeraba but the most accepted means “place of sticky soil” which was listed by F.J Watson in “A list of Aboriginal place names and their derivation, a supplement to the journal of the Royal Geographical Society of Australia” in Vol. 48 No. 34.

Mudgeeraba has one of the oldest histories of any town on the Gold Coast. Back in 1868, William Duckett White, a squatter from Beaudesert, leased 25 square miles of cattle run from the NSW Government (Queensland was at that time administered by the NSW Government). Part of the cattle run included the town we know now as Mudgeeraba.

In 1868, the land was opened up for free selection, attracting timber getters, saw millers and eventually dairy farmers to the area.

In 1871, the population of Mudgeeraba had grown to a grand total of 31 people, the settlers living an isolated hard existence, reliant for supplies on the steamers and cutters which travelled up the Nerang River, six to ten miles away.

By 1884 there was a good deal of timber hauling from Mudgeeraba to Tweed Heads, some of the roads we use today having their origins as early timber tracks.

As the population grew and the roads improved, it became only a matter of time before the first hotel was opened. The Mudgeeraba Hotel opened on the 21 December 1883 and William Laver, the proprietor, advertised that the premises were surrounded by excellent lagoons for ducks, swans and other wildlife. The next important event was the opening in 1903 of the railway line through to Tweed Heads.

In 1914 the Laver family commissioned the building of a new hotel, the Mudgeeraba Exchange Hotel, which was located opposite the railway station. It was sold in 1950’s and eventually renamed the Wallaby Hotel.

The township around the hotel and railway station grew to include a bakery, butcher shop, bank and after World War 1, the Mudgeeraba and Springbrook Memorial School of Arts.

In 1922, a new hall was opened, known as the largest public hall in the south Coast District. It certainly was the centre of attention when, on an evening in September 1936, it was here that they switched on the first light in Mudgeeraba.

ECONOMY
There are a number of small businesses near to the Mudgeeraba Market Shopping Centre and these, along with the numerous restaurants and small professional services, provide the main employment opportunities in Mudgeeraba itself.

TRANSPORT OPTIONS
Distance to Surfers: 5km
Distance to Brisbane: 82km
Being located beside the highway, and minutes from the Robina train station, it is an ideal location for people who work anywhere on the Gold Coast. In addition to the train and motorway, the Surfside bus service (including ‘Hinterlink’) offers efficient and cost effective travel around the Gold Coast. Mudgeeraba truly provides the pleasures of country style living with the convenience of city services.

COMMUNITY
Despite its small size, Mudgeeraba provides an excellent array of facilities for the local population. There is a 25m heated swimming pool, a 50m heated swimming pool, tennis courts and a wading pool for children, sporting fields at Firth Park and Sid Bigg Park, a bowls club, netball courts, skating ramp and a wonderful golf course where the roos still romp.

Located at Merna and John Franklin Centre is the Mudgeeraba Arts and Crafts Historic Village. This is home to several clubs, including the Gold Coast Car Club, the Gold Coast and Albert Potters Association Inc; Society of Sculptors (Gold Coast & Albert), Gold Coast Antique Auto Club; Gold Coast and Hinterland Spinners and Weavers Group Inc; Motor Cycle Enthusiasts Club Inc (Gold Coast); Gold Coast and District Woodturning Association Inc (Gold Coast & Northern NSW)

EDUCATION
There are plenty of schools located in Mudgeeraba. They are:
Mudgeeraba Primary State School.
Mudgeeraba Creek State School
Mudgeeraba Special School
Clover Hill State School
Somerset College

SHOPPING

The Mudgeeraba Market Shopping Centre has a number of small retail outlets as well as a large Woolworths supermarket. On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, fresh produce can be found at the lively Farmer’s Market at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds – an event that’s not to be missed.

LOCAL CLUBS INCLUDE
Mudgeeraba Pony Club
Mudgeeraba Jr Rugby League Football club
Glossy Black Cockatoo Group
Mudgeeraba Little Athletics
Mudgeeraba Bowls Club
Mudgeeraba Nerang & District Cricket Club

LEISURE
The Mudgeeraba show and Rodeo is held in July each year at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, home of the local pony club. It’s a popular event due to its personal and friendly atmosphere and a great opportunity for the kids to show off their riding skills.

Mudgeeraba is also famous for Firth Park, which includes a football field, rugby field, baseball field, netball court, skating ramp and bowls club. It is not unusual in the early mornings to see hot air balloons floating above the park and surrounding areas. Cricket nets are also available in a nearby park and soccer fields are located in Sigg Bigg Park.

Being such a short drive to the beautiful mountains of Springbrook and Tambourine as well as the Bonogin and Tallebudgeera Valleys, there is an abundance of natural wildlife and bushwalks available for the enthusiasts.